This invention relates to a composition for disinfecting an animal product, to a method of disinfecting an animal product, to a treatment plant and to an animal product disinfected with such a composition.
For the purposes of this specification, the term xe2x80x9canimal productxe2x80x9d should be construed to include within its meaning the carcass or a product obtained from the carcass of an animal, including its skin, coat, hide or feathers and the word xe2x80x9canimalxe2x80x9d should be construed to include within its meaning sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, chickens, ostriches, fish and the like from which a carcass or a product could be obtained. The Applicant envisages further that the invention will be applicable particularly, but not exclusively, to the treatment of animal products in the form of food and food-related products. Such products include fish, meat and meat-related products such as sausage casings, offal, waste produced in meat-producing plants such as fisheries, abattoirs and the like. It is also envisaged that treatment would result in shelf life extension through decontamination of the various products.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a novel composition for disinfecting animal products as well as the related animal products and method.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of disinfecting an animal product, the method including the step of exposing the animal product to a composition comprising an electro-chemically activated, anion-containing aqueous solution.
The solution may be an aqueous solution of a salt. The salt may be sodium chloride. In particular, it may be non-iodated sodium chloride or potassium chloride.
The method may include the steps of diluting the anion-containing solution to a pre-determined concentration and exposing the animal product to an appropriate quantity of the diluted anion-containing solution and for a predetermined time period in a treatment facility.
If desired, the method may include a preliminary step of washing or rinsing the animal product in a washing vessel prior to treatment in the treatment container. Washing or rinsing may be with water obtained from the said source of water. The method may then include collecting effluent water from the washing vessel, clarifying the effluent water by exposing it to an appropriate quantity of the cation-containing solution, disinfecting the clarified water by treating it with an appropriate quantity of the diluted anion-containing solution and re-circulating the clarified and disinfected water.
The anion-containing solution and the cation-containing solution may be produced by an electrochemical reactor or so-called electrolysis device. The electro chemical reactor may include a through flow, electro chemical cell having two co-axial cylindrical electrodes with a coaxial diaphragm between them so as to separate an annular inter electrode space into a catalytic and an analytic chamber. The anion-containing solution is referred to hereinafter for brevity as the xe2x80x9canolyte solutionxe2x80x9d and the cation-containing solution is referred to hereinafter for brevity as the xe2x80x9ccatholyte solutionxe2x80x9d.
During the electrolysis process, various radical cation and radical anion species are produced. Generally, a 10% aqueous NaCl solution of water is added to tap water where it is electrolysed in the anion and cation chambers to produce radical cation and radical anion species having extremely high redox potentials of between +500 and +1170 mV and about xe2x88x92980 mV respectively. These species may be labile after about 96 hours with no residues so as to disappear being produced.
The anolyte solution generally may have a pH of about 2-8 and a redox potential of about +1170 mV. The species present in the anolyte solution may include ClO; ClOxe2x88x92; HClO; OHxe2x88x92; HO2xe2x80x94; H2O2; O3; S2O82xe2x88x92 and Cl2O62xe2x88x92.
These species have been found to have a synergistic anti-bacterial effect which is generally stronger than that of chemical bactericides and has been found to be particularly effective against viral organisms and spore and cyst forming bacteria.
The catholyte solution generally may have a pH of about 12-13. The species present in the catholyte solution may include NaOH; KOH; CA(OH)2; Mg (OH)2; HOxe2x88x92; H3O2xe2x88x92; HO2xe2x88x92; H2O2xe2x88x92; O2xe2x88x92; OHxe2x88x92; O22xe2x88x92.
Exposing the animal product or carcass to the anolyte solution may include soaking, rinsing or dipping the animal product in the anolyte solution, applying the anolyte solution via an atomising or fogging process or freezing the anolyte solution and using the ice produced to pack the animal product. The soaking, rinsing or dipping process is suitable for products such as offal which can be handled with relative ease, either manually or mechanically. The redox potential of the anolyte solution can be monitored during the process so that the disinfecting process can be monitored and controlled on a continuous basis. The atomising or fogging process is suitable for products such as carcasses when suspended in a chiller. The atomising or fogging process may include the step of atomising the anolyte solution into the atmosphere in an enclosure to be treated, forming droplets of between 5 and 100 micrometers. The atomising or fogging process is preferably repeated at predetermined intervals so as to maintain a suitable level of anolyte solution concentration in the atmosphere, thus using the optimum microcidal and other properties of the anolyte solution in accordance with the required administration rate. The anolyte solution also may be applied by an atomising process in air ducting systems to destroy air-borne micro-organisms. The use of frozen anolyte solution has been found to extend the usable life of animal products packed in the frozen anolyte solution, e.g. fish;
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a treatment plant for treating an animal product in accordance with the method of the invention.
The treatment plant may include supply means for supplying water;
feed means for feeding a suitable salt into the water to produce an aqueous salt solution;
an electrolysis device for electrolysing the aqueous solution to produce an anolyte and a catholyte solution;
a mixing and dilution tank for mixing and diluting the anolyte solution; and
means for applying the anolyte solution to a product.
The treatment plant may include recycling means for recycling anolyte and catholyte solution into spent process water to disinfect the spent process water.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention there is provided a composition for disinfecting an animal product comprising an electro chemically activated anion containing aqueous solution, the solution being substantially as herein defined.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided an animal product characterized in having been disinfected with a composition and/or in a plant or a process as herein defined.